Civil Service: Performance Pay

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Statement by the Lord President (Baroness Royall of Blaisdon) on 31 March (WS 83-84), what was the estimated size of HM Treasury's non-consolidated performance-related pay pot for the Senior Civil Service in each of the past five years for which information is available.

Lord Myners: Pay arrangements for the Senior Civil Service are based on recommendations by the independent Senior Salaries Review Body.
	The table below sets out the size of the bonus pot for senior civil servants working at HM Treasury for the five years up to the performance year 2008-09.
	
		
			 Performance Year Amount of non-consolidated pay pot (excluding employer costs) £ % set by SSRB 
			 2008-09 776,707 8.6 
			 2007-08 644,792 8.6 
			 2006-07 526,594 7.6 
			 2005-06 492,999 6.5 
			 2004-05 352,669 5

Civil Service: Performance Pay

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government (a) what the total monetary value of Senior Civil Service non-consolidated performance pay awards was in the Department for Work and Pensions, (b) how many and what proportion of the Senior Civil Service staff in the Department for Work and Pensions received performance pay awards by SCS pay band, and (c) how those awards were distributed by pay band and award category, for each of the last five years for which data are available.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord McKenzie of Luton on 13 May (WA 200) concerning the amount of funding for Senior Civil Servants' performance-related pay in the Department for Work and Pensions, what were the figures requested.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The information requested is shown in the tables below:
	Table 1—Total monetary value of SCS non-consolidated performance pay
	
		
			 Financial Year Percentage of the SCS pay bill (%) Size of pot (£m rounded up to 2 decimal places) Total Paid (£m rounded up to 2 decimal places) Total number of recipients Proportion of SCS (%) 
			 2003/04 4.0 0.71 0.71 126 52 
			 2004/05 5.0 0.92 0.96 190 78 
			 2005/06 6.5 1.33 1.34 191 73 
			 2006/07 7.6 1.70 1.67 200 72 
			 2007/08 8.6 2.10 1.82 212 73 
		
	
	Table 2—Distribution by award category and pay band
	The categories for awards have changed throughout the period and these changes are reflected in the terminology used in the tables. From 2006-07 pay band 2 and 3 non-consolidated performance pay (bonus) is determined on an individual basis by the relevant DWP SCS pay committee. Since 2007-08 all SCS non-consolidated performance pay has been determined on that basis.
	
		
			 2003-04 
			 Pay band 1 Pay band 2 Pay band 3 
			 Tranche Bonus Total Tranche Bonus Total Tranche Bonus Total 
			 Top High 17 Top High 6 Top High 1 
			 Top Medium 18 Top Medium 5 Top Medium 0 
			 Middle High 12 Middle High 4 Middle High 0 
			 Middle Medium 43 Middle Medium 17 Middle Medium 3 
		
	
	
		
			 2004-05 
			 Pay band 1 Pay band 2 Pay band 3 
			 Bonus Total Bonus Total Bonus Total 
			 Outstanding 19 Outstanding 9 Outstanding 0 
			 High 28 High 11 High 3 
			 Medium 85 Medium 32 Medium 3 
		
	
	
		
			 2005-06 
			 Pay band 1 Pay band 2 Pay band 3 
			 Bonus Total Bonus Total Bonus Total 
			 Outstanding 22 Outstanding 9 Outstanding 0 
			 High 31 High 14 High 4 
			 Medium 82 Medium 27 Medium 2 
		
	
	
		
			 2006-07 Individual awards system introduced for pay band 2 and 3 
			 Pay band 1 Pay band 2 Pay band 3 
			 Bonus Total Bonus Total Bonus Total 
			 Outstanding 21 Individual 47 Individual 6 
			 High 43 
			 Medium 83 
		
	
	
		
			 2007-08 pay band 1 added to individual awards system 
			 Pay band 1  Pay band 2  Pay band 3  
			 Performance pay Total Performance pay Total Performance pay Total 
			 Individual 151 Individual 52 Individual 9

Courts: Surcharges

Baroness Scott of Needham Market: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money raised from victims' surcharges levied by magistrates' courts has been allocated to organisations providing non-financial support to victims and witnesses of crime.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government to which organisations funds from victims' surcharges levied by magistrates' courts have been allocated; and how much has been allocated to each organisation.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will use money raised from victims' surcharges levied by magistrates' courts to refurbish witness waiting areas in magistrates' courts.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will use money raised from victims' surcharges levied by magistrates' courts to provide enhanced expenses for witnesses.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will use money raised from victims' surcharges levied by magistrates' courts to pay compensation immediately at the end of court proceedings to the victims of crime rather than after the money has been collected from those convicted.

Lord Bach: The Victims Surcharge raised £3.8 million in 2007-08, the year of introduction, and £8 million in 2008-09.
	All of the money raised from the surcharge contributed to direct non-financial support for victims and witnesses of crime. Funding was committed as follows:
	2007-08/2008-09/2009-10
	£3 million/£2.6 million/£2.6 million to fund Independent Domestic Violence Adviser Services.
	£3 million/£2.6 million/£2.6 million to the Crown Prosecution Service as a contribution to the cost of providing Witness Care Units under the No Witness No Justice initiative.
	£5.6 million/£7 million/£6.2 million to the Victim Support National Centre to fund enhanced services to victims and witnesses under the Victim Support Plus initiative.
	Additionally, £1.75 million was allocated to the Victims Fund each year, which has contributed to the funding of the organisations shown in the table below.
	Money raised from the surcharge has not been used to refurbish witness waiting areas in magistrates' courts nor has it been used to pay witness expenses, and there are no present plans for it to be used in this way.
	There are currently no plans to pay compensation to victims of crime from surcharge funds. The explanatory memorandum accompanying the enabling legislation for the victims surcharge makes it clear that surcharge money should be used to fund services helping victims of crime and witnesses.
	
		
			 Victims Fund—annual grants made towards support for victims of sexual violence and abuse (in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10) 
			 Government Office Region £ 
			 London  
			 Respond 50,000 
			 One-in-Four 48,510 
			 Lilith Project Eaves Housing 30,104 
			 Step Forward 32,190 
			 Galop 35,122 
			 National Coverage  
			 CIS'ters 37,088 
			 Voice UK 28,000 
			 Survivors UK 30,000 
			 North East  
			 Women's Support Network 28,038 
			 Redcar and Cleveland Women's Aid 41,724 
			 East  
			 South Essex Rape and Crisis Centre (SERICC) 49,291 
			 HEAL (Helping Everyone Abused Live) 38,038 
			 Colchester Rape Crisis Line 21,931 
			 North West  
			 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre Cheshire and Merseyside (Previously Warrington Rape Crisis) 35,370 
			 Manchester Rape Crisis 25,635 
			 South East  
			 RASAC- Rape and Sexual Abuse Counselling Service (Winchester) 26,000 
			 SurvivorsNetwork 10,406 
			 Southampton Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Centre 47,804 
			 No Limits 26,000 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside  
			 Bradford Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Survivors Service 45,106 
			 Doncaster Rape and Sexual Abuse Counselling Centre 44,607 
			 Grimsby and Scunthorpe Rape Crisis 49,146 
			 Sheffield Women's Counselling and Therapy Service 18,672 
			 SouthWest  
			 WomanKind (Bristol Women's Therapy Centre) 41,202 
			 Survivors Swindon 35,900 
			 Plymouth Rape and Sexual Abuse Line 12,450 
			 Twelve's Company 35,827 
			 Women's Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre Cornwall (WRASAC) 32,416 
			 West Midlands  
			 Sexual and Domestic Abuse and Rape Advise Centre (SARAC) 15,250 
			 Worcestershire Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre 28,445 
			 Coventry Rape Crisis 35,424 
			 The Rape and Sexual Abuse Violence Project (Birmingham) 21,090 
			 South Wales  
			 New Pathways 23,660 
			 North Wales  
			 Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (North Wales) 25,525 
			 East Midlands  
			 Derbyshire Rape Crisis 19,450 
			 Nottingham Rape Crisis 41,108 
			 Sexual Abuse and Incest Line (SAIL) 17,767 
			 Northamptonshire Rape and Incest Crisis 20,000 
			 Crisis Point 15,368 
			 Walsall Street Teams ( The Jigsaw Project) 30,000 
			 Total: 1,249,664 
		
	
	Grants for 2009-10 from the Victims Fund to support victims of hate crime and homicide have not yet been allocated. We expect to be able to make an announcement about the allocations in June.
	
		
			 Victims fund — grants made towards support for victims of homicide 2007-08 £ 2008-09 £ 
			 Government Office Region   
			 London   
			 Victims of Crime Trust 17,724 17,700 
			 Victim Support London 25,620  
			 North East   
			 National Victims Association 25,000 30,985 
			 Victim Support and Witness Service 3,980  
			 East   
			 Barnardos 27,455  
			 Victim Support Bedfordshire 7,313 19,954.08 
			 North West   
			 Greater Manchester Police 40,000  
			 SAMM Merseyside 18,950 20,450 
			 South East   
			 The Child Bereavement Trust 18,710 20,887 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside   
			 SAMM South Yorkshire 2,868  
			 West Yorkshire Police 13,000  
			 South West   
			 Winston's Wish 49,380  
			 Total: 250,000 109,976.08 
		
	
	
		
			 Victims fund—grants made towards support for victims of hate crime 2007-08 2008-09 
			 Government Office Region £ £ 
			 London   
			 Greenwich Action Committee Against Racial Attacks 29,515 19,920 
			 Stonewall 26,900  
			 Hounslow Community Safety Partnership 15,000  
			 East   
			 North Herts People First 24,475 53,180 
			 Bedfordshire Hate Crime Partnership 15,000  
			 North East   
			 Victim Support Teesside  4,130 
			 North West   
			 Liverpool Culture Company 25,000  
			 Rochdale Borough Council 7,515  
			 Victim Support Greater Manchester 20,000  
			 Greater Manchester Police — Bury Division  15,762 
			 South East   
			 Partnership Community Safety Team 20,000  
			 Victim Support Kent 3,640  
			 Gender Identity Research and Education Society 2,750 4,750 
			 BMEYPP 9,190  
			 Yorkshire and Humberside   
			 Kirklees Safer Communities Partnership 15,000  
			 Kirklees Metropolitan Council  15,000 
			 InclusionNorth 27,200  
			 Bradford Hate Crime Allowance 15,000  
			 West Yorkshire Police  20,000 
			 South West   
			 The Intercom Trust 28,920  
			 East Midlands   
			 Northamptonshire Hate Crime Forum 15,000  
			 Voice UK  34,900 
			 Total: 300,105(1) 167,642 
			 (1)Excess over £250,000 added from Home Office budget.

Crime: Drink-Driving

Lord Chadlington: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people were convicted of drink driving in 2008; and how that figure compares with the previous 10 years.

Lord Bach: The number of persons found guilty at all courts for driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs in England and Wales for the years 1998 to 2007 (latest available) is provided in the following table. The data provided cover both drink and drugs offences combined, as volumes of convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs cannot be separately identified.
	Information for Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for the Scottish Executive and the Northern Ireland Office respectively.
	Data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
	
		
			 The number of persons found guilty at all courts for driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs, England and Wales 1998 to 2007 (1)(2) 
			 Offence type 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 
			 Driving etc after consuming alcohol or taking drugs 83,074 79,505 76,746 76,109 81,433 83,781 86,597 84,540 83,975 81,477 
		
	
	(1) It is known that for some police force areas the reporting of court proceedings, in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete.
	(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
	Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform— Evidence and Analysis unit.

Crime: Murder

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government in the light of the comments by Paul McKeever, the chairman of the Police Federation, reported in The Times on 13 May, whether they will ensure that convicted murderers of police officers serve full life prison sentences.

Lord Bach: The court determines the minimum term that an offender must serve under a life sentence. The Criminal Justice Act 2003 sets out the starting points that a court should adopt when determining the minimum term to be served in all cases of murder. The starting point for the murder of a police officer in the course of his duty is 30 years. The court will consider any aggravating and mitigating factors which will increase or decrease the minimum term and, in exceptionally serious cases, may consider a whole life tariff. Release on licence may only be considered by the Parole Board once the minimum term has been served and the Board makes its decision on the basis of the risk to the community posed by the offender. In some cases the offender may never be released.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to requests from the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) for sharing information about the whereabouts and movements of the leadership of the Lord's Resistance Army; and what consideration they have given to MONUC's requests for an enhanced intelligence capability to improve its effectiveness.

Lord Malloch-Brown: We maintain an intensive dialogue with the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) and seek to provide assistance whenever requested, as with all UN peacekeeping missions.
	The additional resources mandated by the UN Security Council in resolution 1843 included provision of additional intelligence capability. MONUC is in the process of acquiring additional aerial surveillance capability to locate rebel groups, including the Lord's Resistance Army. In addition, MONUC has created joint civilian and military protection teams which have increased the mission's capacity to gather and analyse information relating to the protection needs of vulnerable populations.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what logistical support they are giving to improve the military capability of the Army of the Democratic Republic of Congo and to strengthen its role in combating the militias in North and South Kivu.

Lord Malloch-Brown: We are not providing any logistical support directly to the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The operations currently under way against rebels in North and South Kivu are being conducted jointly by the DRC armed forces and the UN mission in the DRC.
	The UK provides substantial support to the reform of the DRC armed forces. Since April this year we have provided training on logistics and communication to 225 officers. On 8 May 2009 we opened a UK-funded administration school, which will be run by the EU on behalf of the UK. In partnership with the Netherlands we are refurbishing the army's logistics school and providing a logistics training programme.
	We are also providing training on human rights, accountability and administration. In eastern DRC, the UK has funded the provision of eight semi-permanent battalion camps for soldiers and their families. We are also assisting the Prime Minister's Office with support to his stabilisation plan for the east, which should improve access to food and accommodation for newly integrated members of the army and their dependants.

Energy: Carbon Emissions

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government with reference to the review by the National Audit Office of the data collected by the Building Research Establishment and published in March 2007 by the Sustainable Development Commission, why carbon dioxide emissions in 2005—06 were higher in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) laboratories than the rest of Defra; and what steps they have taken to reduce emissions in the laboratories.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Laboratories on the Defra estate investigate and respond to animal and plant disease outbreaks. This work is carried out in energy intensive high containment laboratories which are regulated by strict legislation.
	Many of the activities and processes carried out in the laboratories are energy intensive and there are. limited opportunities for achieving efficiencies which do not impact on the health, safety and security requirements within the laboratory environment.
	Defra's laboratory estate is at the cutting edge of research into animal and plant disease and a number of its laboratories have been designed to respond quickly and efficiently to outbreaks, such as foot and mouth and avian influenza. Maintaining this capability has a significant negative impact on energy efficiency.
	In 2005-06, the introduction of the Stewart Stockman building, a new high containment laboratory, designed to research and respond to animal disease outbreaks (such as foot and mouth), caused a significant increase in energy consumption on the laboratory estate.
	Defra has a programme in place to deliver operational efficiency savings across its estate, with initiatives specifically targeted at improving energy efficiency:
	Defra has installed 14 voltage regulation units on its laboratory estate. This technology significantly reduces energy consumption of a whole building by regulating the voltage level entering the building. Average electricity consumption has reduced by 11 per cent as a result of installing this technology.
	Other energy efficiency projects which have been implemented include upgrades to more efficient lighting, improvements to motor energy controls and gas boiler sequencing controls, all of which have delivered significant savings.
	Thermal imaging surveys have been undertaken at a number of Defra laboratory sites. The results of the surveys will inform a programme of works to improve the thermal efficiency of buildings.
	Defra is currently upgrading its electricity, gas and water meters to Smart meters which will provide accurate and up to the minute consumption data. This data will be used to monitor and identify excessive consumption, providing a focus for strategic consumption reduction. The Carbon Trust estimate that savings of between 5 to 10 per cent can be achieved through the identification of waste through Smart metering.
	To further improve operational efficiency, Defra has recently revised its requirements for facilities management (FM) provision to incorporate a more sustainable approach to the FM service. The recent sustainable workplace management contract awarded to Interserve, will further enhance Defra's capability to further embed sustainability in its operations.
	Defra has adopted the Carbon Trust's Carbon Management Programme and the entire Defra estate, including laboratories, was awarded Energy Efficiency Accreditation Scheme (EEAS) certification in June 2007.

Energy: Heating

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government with reference to the review by the National Audit Office of the data collected by the Building Research Establishment and published in March 2007 by the Sustainable Development Commission, why the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) laboratories in 2005—06 used nearly 60 per cent of their energy for heating and Defra itself over 50 per cent; and what steps they have taken to reduce energy used for heating.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Heat generation is the most significant element of energy consumption by the UK service sector (including government). In 2007, it accounted for 68 per cent of total energy consumption.
	The Defra laboratory estate generates heat for use in essential laboratory processes as well as for space heating. A significant quantity of this heat is generated using highly efficient combined heat and power plants and from energy recovery from other processes, such as incineration. The Defra office estate uses heat primarily for space heating only.
	Defra has a programme in place to deliver further energy savings across its estate, with initiatives specifically targeted at reducing heat demand.
	in 2007 a maximum space heating set point of 21 degrees was introduced across the estate;three gas-fired combined heat and power plants have been installed on the estate which provide 17 per cent of the Defra's electricity and heat. Further CHP installations are currently undergoing feasibility studies;technologies have been implemented on laboratory sites which recover heat and create electricity from laboratory processes; andthermal imaging and building energy surveys have been undertaken across the estate which identified potential opportunities for improving the thermal efficiency of the buildings. These projects are currently being prioritised for implementation during summer/autumn 2009.
	1 BERR: Estimates of heat use in the UK: June 2007.www.berr.gov.uk/files/file43843.pdf

Equal Pay

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government in light of the report in the Financial Times of 5 May, whether there is a gender pay gap in the Fire Service College; if so, what is the percentage difference; and what are the reasons for the difference.

Baroness Andrews: An analysis of all Fire Service College Civil Service staff salaries by grade as at 1 June 2008 indicates that no material gender pay gap exists within junior grades at the college.
	At higher and senior levels, the gap is between 3 per cent and 10 per cent. This is as a direct result of two out of four male staff transferring in from other government departments with salaries at the top of the scale and the small numbers of staff in two grades having a significant effect on median salaries.

Equal Pay: Government Departments

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government what pay gaps there are in respect of gender, race and disability among employees of the Department for International Development.

Lord Tunnicliffe: The Department for International Development (DfID) carried out an equal pay audit in 2008 for all staff below the Senior Civil Service. The audit showed that there are no significant pay gaps by gender, race or disability (ie, variations of 5 per cent or more) across DfID staff grades. Further information on Civil Service gender statistics is available online at www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/CivilService_tables_2008.xls.
	DfID values diversity and is committed to ensuring that it is reflected in our pay arrangements.

Equal Pay: Government Departments

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is a gender pay gap in the Crown Prosecution Service; if so, what is the percentage difference; and what are the reasons for the difference.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) completes comprehensive equal pay reviews on a regular basis. The most recent review showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the pay of female and male staff.

Equal Pay: Government Departments

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is a gender pay gap in the Ministry of Defence; if so, what is the percentage difference; and what are the reasons for the difference.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: I refer the noble Lord to the tables, in particularly Table 27, on gender pay gaps as set out in the Civil Service Statistics found at the following link: www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/CivilService_tables_2008.xls.
	I should explain to the noble Lord that the overall pay gap figure is not relevant in the context of equal pay legislation, as it does not compare like-for-like work.

Equal Pay: Government: Departments

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government what pay gaps there are in respect of gender, race and disability among employees of Communities and Local Government.

Baroness Andrews: In relation to gender pay gaps, I refer the noble Baroness to Table 27 of the Civil Service Statistics which sets out the percentage difference in median salaries between different genders in all government departments:
	www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/CivilService_tables_2008.xls.
	Although a recent analysis of basic pay has identified differences between key demographic/employment groups of greater than 3 per cent for Communities and Local Government (CLG) as a whole, it has revealed few differences of similar order at the pay range level (pay range is taken as an indicator of work of equal value).
	CLG is committed to working towards equality of treatment throughout its workforce. In addition to complying with statutory duties eg carrying out an equal pay review every three years, the department consults regularly with the TUS and staff networks to see how barriers to equality can be removed.

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether consultancy contracts have been entered into by the Equality and Human Rights Commission with the Equate Organisation, Dignity Management Consultancy or Neil Kingham Ltd; and, if so, whether they give rise to any previous, current or potential future conflicts of interest with any commissioner or member of staff of the commission.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The Equality and Human Rights Commission has not entered into any consultancy agreements with the Equate Organisation, Dignity Management Consultancy or Neil Kinghan Ltd. The commission is in the process of completing a contract with Neil Kinghan Ltd for the provision of services of interim director-general personally by Neil Kinghan. In accordance with the commission's rules on handling conflict of interest, the commission has taken steps to remove any perceived or potential conflict of interests.

Food: Meat

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government what human and financial resources are allocated by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to facilitate the export of British meat and other animal products to existing and new markets.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government contribute substantial resources to facilitate exports of benefit to the meat and animal product sectors. The contribution this department makes includes a policy team of some 20 people dedicated to negotiations on export issues which arise from animal health concerns. This includes their work with the UK Export Certification Partnership, to which we are additionally contributing £200,000 of taxpayers' money for non-pay running costs. The partnership is an innovative trial venture between government and the livestock industry which is developing further avenues for UK international trade.

Gaza

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what evidence they have that Israeli military forces used the following in Gaza in December 2008 and January 2009: (a) dense inert metal explosives, (b) white phosphorus shells, (c) fuel-air explosives, and (d) cluster bombs, to target ambulances, children and a school; and what use they will make of any such evidence.

Lord Malloch-Brown: Findings from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) investigations have stated that, throughout the conflict in Gaza, the IDF operated in accordance with international law, although there were a very small number of incidents in which intelligence or operational errors took place during the fighting.
	However, we are concerned by the findings of the UN board of inquiry's (BoI) report. The inviolability of UN installations should be respected. It is therefore important that Israel ensures that the various allegations are fully investigated, taking into account the BoI's findings. My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary reiterated this in his statement at the UN Security Council debate on 11 May 2009.

Government Departments: Bottled Water

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the Department of Energy and Climate Change or its predecessors spent on bottled water in each of the past five years.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: This information is not held centrally and can only be provided at disproportionate cost, but it is a policy of the Department of Energy and Climate Change and its predecessors not to buy bottled water.

Government Departments: Staff Absence

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government what the rates of staff (a) absence, and (b) sickness absence, were at (1) the Ministry of Justice, and (2) each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies, in each year since its inception; and what the target rates set for the Ministry were in each case.

Lord Bach: Due to machinery of government change, the Ministry of Justice was created on 9 May 2007.
	The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) does not currently record staff absence, other than sick absence, centrally.
	MoJ sick absence rates and targets since inception are contained in the table below. The figures include MoJ headquarters, Her Majesty's Court Service, the Office of the Public Guardian, the Tribunals Service and Scotland and Wales Offices.
	
		
			 Ministry of Justice sick absence rates 
			 Year Working days lost per person Target (working days per person) 
			 2007-08* 8.2 7.5 
			 2008-09** 7.6 7.5 
		
	
	Source: MoJ Cabinet Office return minus Land Registry and NOMS Agencv
	Includes all MoJ employees on Home Office systems [MoJ and NOMS HQ]
	** Statistics still to be validated and includes staff that migrated across from HO
	The National Offender Management Service (NOMS), which comprises NOMS HQ and Her Majesty's Prison Service, is an agency of the Ministry of Justice. The table below contains sick absence rates and targets for NOMS since the MoJ's inception.
	
		
			 National Offender Management Service sick absence rates 
			 Year Working days lost per person Target (working days per person) 
			 2007-08* 11.6 11 
			 2008-09** 10.8 11.5 
		
	
	Source: NOMS Agency Cabinet Office return
	* Excludes staff on Home Office systems
	** Statistic still to be validated and includes staff that migrated across from HO systems
	With a very small number of exceptions, executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) and their employees are not civil servants. Therefore, the sickness absence rates of MoJ NDPBs are not monitored by the MoJ.

Houses of Parliament: Select Committees

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by the Lord President (Baroness Royall of Blaisdon) on 20 April (WA 346), on how many occasions and in what circumstances Ministers of the Department of Energy and Climate Change and its predecessors have refused to give evidence to Parliamentary Select Committees during the past five years.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: No DECC Minister has refused to give evidence to a parliamentary Select Committee.

Houses of Parliament: Select Committees

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Myners on 12 May (WA 191), what resources and records they would need in order to provide information on the number of occasions and the circumstances in which Ministers of HM Treasury have refused to give evidence to Parliamentary Select Committees during the past five years; and whether they intend to keep a readily available record of such information in the future.

Lord Myners: Processes have been put in place to ensure that the Treasury records future instances where Ministers or officials decline to give evidence to parliamentary Select Committees.

Housing: Private Landlords

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much housing benefit was paid for the benefit of private landlords in each of the past three years; and whether they will consider taxing such monies on a basis similar to PAYE.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The information is not available in the format requested. The available information is in the table.
	
		
			 Housing Benefit expenditure in relation to private tenancies in Great Britain (£millions) 
			 2005-06 3,720 
			 2006-07 4,140 
			 2008-09 4,510 
		
	
	Note: figures are rounded to £10 million
	Source: Statistical returns and subsidy claims from local authorities
	The rental income received by private landlords is dealt with under long established tax rules, and taxing housing benefit at source would add complexity to the system and go against the Government's undertaking to reduce the level of burden of tax administration.

IRA

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the IRA are involved in activity involving (a) fuel, (b) alcohol, (c) tobacco, (d) livestock, (e) dumping, and (f) DVDs and CDs.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The most recent assessment is contained in the IMC's 21st report, published on 7 May. This indicates that the PIRA is not involved in illegal activity.

Iran

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the Government of Iran following recent airborne attacks by Iran into Iraq; and, if so, of what kind.

Lord Malloch-Brown: The UK is aware of reports of Iranian shelling in and against Iraqi Kurdistan earlier this month. The UK has not made any representations to the Government of Iran about this.

Justice: Sharia Law

Baroness Falkner of Margravine: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Bach on 21 April (WA 390), whether since 2007 they have commissioned any academic work, individually or through universities, on Sharia.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Bach on 21 April (WA 390), whether since 2007 they have held discussions with members of the judiciary on aspects of Sharia law.

Lord Bach: In early 2008, the Ministry of Justice conducted an initial review of the research into Sharia councils in England and Wales. This initial review revealed gaps in our knowledge so a new research project has been commissioned. We hope this study will indicate the number and distribution of Sharia councils in England and Wales. It will determine the ease of obtaining further information from councils and, where possible, explore the administrative structures and processes through which Sharia family law matters are addressed.
	The research is being led by Dr Tahir Abbas, Director of the Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Culture, University of Birmingham.
	We have not held discussions with members of the judiciary on aspects of Sharia law.

Legal Aid

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Bach on 30 April (WA 67), by what criteria the Northern Ireland Legal Services Commission determined that legal aid under the provisions of the Legal Aid, Advice and Assistance (Northern Ireland) Order 1981 was merited for Christopher Donaldson to bring an action for judicial review of the prohibition on him wearing an Easter Lily in prison common areas; what was the cost of that legal aid; what was the cost of the court case; and whether they will review the provision of legal aid in such cases.

Lord Bach: The statutory criteria involved in determining applications for civil legal aid, including judicial review proceedings, is whether:
	the applicant satisfies the financial means test as set out in Article 9 of the Legal Aid, Advice and Assistance (Northern Ireland) Order 1981; andthe applicant had shown reasonable grounds for taking, defending or being a party to proceedings and is it is reasonable in the particular circumstances of the case that legal aid be granted as set out in Article 10 of the 1981 Order.
	As no case report has been submitted in respect of the judicial review proceedings, the legal aid costs are not known.
	An estimate of court costs is £1,583.00
	Later this year the Northern Ireland Legal Services Commission will consult on the reform of legal aid including the tests to be applied to all cases seeking civil legal aid.

Marine Conservation

The Duke of Montrose: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the light of the proposed devolution of marine planning to the Scottish Executive under the Marine and Coastal Access Bill, oil and gas installations in Scotland will require planning permission as they do on land.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The devolution of marine planning functions under the Marine and Coastal Access Bill to the Scottish Executive will not affect which consents and permissions oil and gas installations will need. Those installations within the jurisdiction of the Town and Country Planning Act (Scotland) Act 1997 will still require planning permission as they do now. Offshore oil and gas installations, as defined by Section 44 of the Petroleum Act 1998, will continue to require a licence under that Act from the Secretary of State. Further, the Marine and Coastal Access Bill is not devolving any licensing functions to the Scottish Executive for oil and gas installations.

National Probation Service

Baroness Howells of St Davids: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the Probation Service has responded to the findings of the National Audit Office (NAO) following its review of the Parole Board; whether the Probation Service's performance has improved since then; whether additional funds have been made available to the service; and whether other work of the Probation Service has been suspended in order to address the findings of the NAO.

Lord Bach: In response to the National Audit Office Report on the work of the Parole Board, the National Offender Management Service introduced, on 1 April 2009, a new parole process for all indeterminate sentence prisoners. The new process includes central monitoring of the performance of all agencies involved in the parole process, supported by a central database. The National Probation Service is required to submit 80 per cent of parole reports within the timescale prescribed under the new process. It is too early to be able to assess the extent to which its performance has improved.
	The new National Probation Service target relates to reports it was already expected to produce in respect of the parole process. As such, it is anticipated that it should be able to comply with the new target without detriment to existing commitments.

Northern Ireland Office

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions the Northern Ireland Office has had with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission since 1 January 2008; on what dates; and what were the topics discussed.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The Northern Ireland Office routinely discusses a wide range of policy and sponsorship issues with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission at both ministerial and official level. These discussions are both formal and informal, including by telephone, face-to-face meetings and written correspondence.
	It is therefore not possible to provide a comprehensive list of every conversation that has taken place nor all the topics discussed.

Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether members of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission have entitlement to pension provision; if so, what; and how.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The position of chief commissioner is a full-time post that attracts a full- time salary and pension provision. The position of commissioner (other than chief commissioner) is not pensionable, in line with practice for comparable public bodies.
	Details of the chief commissioner's pension provision are set out in the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission's annual report and accounts, copies of which are placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Pakistan

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made, or intend to make, to the Government of Pakistan concerning demands that Christians and members of other religious minorities pay the Jizya, an Islamic tax on non-Muslims.

Lord Malloch-Brown: There are media reports of the so-called Jizya tax being imposed by the Taliban in Swat. The Jizya is not a legitimate tax levied by the Government of Pakistan. It has been imposed by violent extremists in their efforts to take control of Swat. We will continue to support the Government of Pakistan's fight against violent extremists, who seek to undermine the fundamental principles of good governance, the rule of law and human rights.

People Trafficking

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what happens to individuals trafficked to the United Kingdom following the conviction of those responsible for their trafficking.

Lord Bach: Victims of human trafficking are provided with comprehensive support services irrespective of whether there has been a conviction.
	The Government have introduced a 45-day minimum recovery and reflection period where non-UK national victims can remain in the country and receive support. Victims of human trafficking may also be eligible for one-year renewable residence permits on two grounds: participation in a criminal investigation or personal circumstance. Victims that choose to return home can receive support with resettlement.

Prisoners: Ethnic Minorities

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the proportions of white and ethnic minority prisoners in England and Wales; and how that compares with the figures in the general population.

Lord Bach: The proportions of white and ethnic minority prisoners in England and Wales; and how that compares with the figures in the general population can be found in this table.
	
		
			  Self-identified ethnicity 
			  White Mixed Asian or Asian British Black or Black British Chinese or Other 
			 Prison Population(l) 80.1% 3.2% 5.3% 11.1% 0.3% 
			 England and Wales Population t2) 91.3% 1.3% 4.4% 2.2% 0.9% 
		
	
	(1) British nationals of known ethnicity aged 15 and above, as of 30 June 2008.
	(2) The percentages are from the Census key tables (KS06) figures released by ONS in February 2003 and are estimates for those aged 10 and over.
	Note:These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, and so is not necessarily accurate to the last number as shown here.

Rural Payments Agency

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people were employed by the Rural Payments Agency in each year from 2004 to 2008; and how many consultants were so employed.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: *** 
			  2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 
			 Directly Employed (Civil Servants) 3,596 3,091 3,087 3,540 3,339 
			 Agency Staff 296 -1,413 1,239 656 300 
			 Consultants, Contractors **   141 101 132 
			 Total 3,892 4,504 4,467 4,297 3,771 
		
	
	NB—All figures have been taken from RPA annual report and accounts.
	* In 2005-06 consultants and contractors were included with agency staff as one total.
	** RPA does not distinguish consultants separately from other contractors within our systems.
	*** Figures which are scheduled to appear in RPA 2008-09 annual report and accounts. The report will be published in July 2009.

Terrorism

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much has been spent by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office directly on countering terrorism and radicalisation in each year since 2001; and what proportion of the department's total spending this represents in each year.

Lord Malloch-Brown: Since financial year 2003-04, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) programmes to counter terrorism and radicalisation and promote reform in the Arab world have spent:
	2003-04—£4.7 million;
	2005-05—£11.2 million;
	2005-06—£17.6 million;
	2006-07—£15.8 million;
	2007-08—£16.5 million; and
	2008-09—£31.8 million.
	Our work is focused in priority countries and regions overseas as part of the Government's wider counterterrorism strategy, CONTEST.
	In each year before 2008-09 the proportion spent was less than 1 per cent of the department's total spending. The proportion spent in 2008-09 was 2 per cent of the 2008-09 plans set out in the 2008 FCO departmental report.

Uganda

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Government of Uganda on establishing a Uganda-led internationally supported military operation to tackle the Lord's Resistance Army.

Lord Malloch-Brown: The Government have not had any such discussions. Prior to, during and following Operation Lightning Thunder, I had discussions with Ugandan Ministers during which I stressed the importance of regional co-operation in dealing with the security threat posed by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).
	Internationally, the UK worked hard to secure a UN Security Council presidential statement on 23 December 2008 condemning the LRA's failure to sign the final peace agreement and its attacks against civilians, and welcoming the joint efforts being made by regional states to tackle the LRA.